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scrambling in range of Las Vegas?

Original Post
kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608

Are there some fun or scenic easy-class-5 / 4 / class 3 rock routes within like two hours drive from Las Vegas?

I'm visiting the week after Thanksgiving, and of course I'm bringing my rope and gear for climbing at Red Rocks (and some limestone?), but I'd like to take some break days off from climbing.

I love scrambling on ridge lines in in the high Sierra eastside, so I'm wondering if there's anything comparable around Las Vegas. Or should I just plan on driving to Zion NP?

Or maybe it's narrow canyons I should be visiting for fun scrambling?

Thanks for ideas and hints.

Ken

cassondra l · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2008 · Points: 335

Bridge Mountain in Red Rock is a very fun scramble.

bargainhunter · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2012 · Points: 5

Agree with Bridge Mountain. It's a nice long hike with interesting route finding and variety of terrain, with mild, fun exposure up top. Take a compass and headlamp. I left late in the day and needed the compass to get down in the dark (in the snow). I saw no one on the route the whole day.

DebLee · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 0

Get the most recent hiking guide book by Branch Whitney. Lots of great scrambles in there. You'll love the scary class 3. He also has a website. Bridge Mtn is great.

Mark E Dixon · · Possunt, nec posse videntur · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 974
kenr wrote:Are there some fun or scenic easy-class-5 / 4 / class 3 rock routes within like two hours drive from Las Vegas? I'm visiting the week after Thanksgiving, and of course I'm bringing my rope and gear for climbing at Red Rocks (and some limestone?), but I'd like to take some break days off from climbing. I love scrambling on ridge lines in in the high Sierra eastside, so I'm wondering if there's anything comparable around Las Vegas. Or should I just plan on driving to Zion NP? Or maybe it's narrow canyons I should be visiting for fun scrambling? Thanks for ideas and hints. Ken
Ken, you may be familiar with this website- if not, it's worth checking out, despite the name.
birdandhike.com/Hike/_Hike_…

Here's Bridge Mountain birdandhike.com/Hike/Red_Ro…

A few years ago we meant to go to Lovell Canyon americansouthwest.net/slot_…
but never did because of poor weather. If you like rock hounding, the mineral club that manages the area was very generous in giving us permission to collect. I can look up the contact info if you PM me.
Tom Caldwell · · Clemson, S.C. · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 3,623

Go up one of the descents like Mescalito, Black Velvet, or Mt. Wilson. Traverse Browstone Wall into Gunsight.

kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608

Thanks a lot for the idea (and the warning, since daylight will be short when I try it).

Any thoughts about if it would be interesting (? without a rope ?) to try a "ridge traverse" of the Calico Hills?

Ken

kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608
TomCaldwell wrote:Go up one of the descents like Mescalito, Black Velvet, or Mt. Wilson. Traverse Browstone Wall into Gunsight.
Scrambling up descent routes is a creative idea -- thanks for the specific suggestions.
kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608
DebLee wrote:Get the most recent hiking guide book by Branch Whitney.
I will surely get that book.

And I've started looking at the BirdAndHike website.

Thanks a lot -- all those ideas give me a whole new perspective on Las Vegas.

Ken
kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608

Again thanks for all the suggestions -- and the B W hiking guidebook is outstanding.
Now all I need is dry weather.

Mark E Dixon wrote:A few years ago we meant to go to Lovell Canyon americansouthwest.net/slot_… but never did because of poor weather
We figured out that Lovell canyon is pretty much the same as the "Anniversary Narrows" in the Branch Whitney guidebook. So yesterday afternoon Sharon and I drove out by Lake Mead. Found that the approach road had been repaired. Hiked to getting near the start of the narrows. Got a
special introduction to the Nevada backcountry: the sound of a semi-automatic weapon firing. With a remarkable "alien" reverberation sound.

We decided to retreat.
Since Las Vegas is way out on the early end of the Pacific time zone, there wasn't enough daylight left to try a different great hike by Lake Mead. So after checking out the indoor climbing gym near the airport (seemed to have more nicer TR setups than the other gym), we parked on The Strip and did our first Nevada "hike" there.

Our main achievement was to walk around most of both sides of The Strip, including the full perimeter of the main floor of the MGM and the main floor of the Bellagio -- without playing anything or purchasing anything. I wanted to buy some snack food, and I was willing to pay an inflated price (once), but the offerings of the snack shops we tried seemed uninspiring -- compared with other innovative food places around Las Vegas available by Web search. So we saved our snack purchases until after we drove out.

I was surprised to discover that Las Vegas has a German bakery, in addition to a French bakery (and in addition to the expected U.S. national brands of bakery-coffee). Then also a new Israeli bakery. And a Palestinian bakery.

Ken
kenr · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 16,608

Scrambling the northwest Calico Hills ...

I thought I would try traversing the ridge crest, so I started from the Northwest end by the Sandstone Quarry parking (elev ). Problem is that the (unnamed) summits around there are seperated by steep chasms, so I wasn't able to do a traverse. Didn't get more than half a mile from the parking (nowhere neat as far as Calico Tank).
But lots of challenging and fun exploring, and interesting scrambling.

I'm numbering these unnamed peaks from west to east, though that's not the order I climbed them. If I do it again I'd start with peaks 4 and 5, because I'm not sure what is a good approach or exit route from those, but I do feel confident about how to exit from peak 2 (or peak 1).

peak 1 - (lat long approx N36.1632 W115.4491)-(elevation 4465ft / 1360m) is NE from the Sandstone Quarry Parking. If you're climbing in the Calico Hills and you want to actually stand on top of something (instead of getting lowered off), this is short -- do some walking and a rising traverse around to its north side up slabs first to a satellite, then a little more creative scrambling to the top (uphill from SQ parking about +150 vertical ft / +45m).

. . . (I did not see any way to traverse between peak 1 and peak 2).

peak 2 - (lat long ~ N36.1626 W115.4482)-(elev ~ 4525ft/1380m). Interesting class 5 moves with fairly tricky navigation. I approached by a narrow gully from the East - (uphill about +220 vertical ft / +70m)
Going back partway down that gully allows reaching peak 3.

peak 3 - (N36.1621 W115.4470)-(elev 4615ft/1405m). Exposed class 5 ramp up from narrow chasm from northwest (approached by narrow gully starting 200ft to north of summit. Along the way there's a satellite pair of blocks 125ft NW from summit with an entertaining class 5 to higher top.
I seem to remember there's another way to reach the summit from the North which is more like class 3 difficulty (which could be used to traverse to peak 4).
And there's another satellite about 70 feet to NE with some class 4/5 moves to its top.

peak 4 - (N36.1628 W115.4464)-(elev 4650ft/1415m). One way I reached it was by approaching to point (N36.1643 W115.4466) then scrambling up a long gully to its NE side (near the col between peaks 4 + 5), then circled around to its W side (with optional side trips to a couple of satellite summits) and up to the summit. Can also connect to it from N side of peak 3. (uphill from SQ parking about +350 vertical ft / +115m).

peak 5 - (N36.1636 W115.4450)-(elev 4630ft/1410m). I reached it by approaching to point (N36.1643 W115.4466) then scrambling up a long gully to its W side (near the col between peaks 4 + 5). Then I found an explosed (easy) ledge traverse which led to a nice ramp up to the summit.

. . . (I did not see any way to traverse to anything near the ridge farther south or east).

So I haven't come close yet to traversing the Calico ridge. But I'm eager for more.

Ken

Aaron S · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2006 · Points: 150
kenr wrote: Got a special introduction to the Nevada backcountry: the sound of a semi-automatic weapon firing. With a remarkable "alien" reverberation sound.
There is a shooting area just above the canyon there that gets used regularly. It's away from the hiking trail but does kind of ruin the ambiance.

For ridge traverses, there is a fun one starting from Red Springs up past Turtle Shell boulder and heading towards the Fox. You have the first pullout on your left and Calico on the right. It's a fun easy scramble with a few unrecorded boulder problems scattered around. I dropped down by the Fox but you could probably keep going, might get a little tougher though.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Nevada
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